4. Minimal post-processing applied to the images. Only slight tweak of brightness/contrast and minor adjustment of white balance for better overall consistency. No cropping done.

The Olympus M.Zuiko 75mm F1.8 was one of the lenses initially announced during the launch of Olympus OM-D E-M5, alongside another lens, the 60mm F2.8 macro. The 75mm F1.8 lens was officially launched on 24th May 2012, which was about a month ago. Not until earlier this week, there has been no reviews and image samples made available to the public just yet. I was contacted by Olympus Malaysia early this week, and arrangement was made for me to test and review this fresh Olympus 75mm F1.8 lens in the weekends. Boy was I excited ! To go along with the silver lens, I was also loaned the OM-D E-M5 SILVER version.

As a reminder, and a note to first time visitors, this review will be written from a photography-enthusiast’s point of view. This will be a user experience based review, sharing on what I think and feel using the M.Zuiko 75mm F1.8 mounted on OM-D E-M5 in real life shooting situations. Therefore, this is not a technical review as there will not be elaborative technical explanations, such as explanation of corner softness, optimum aperture range, chromatic aberration and so forth. In addition to that, I will not be doing direct side by side image and performance comparisons with other lenses. What I am presenting in this entry is merely what I can do with the Olympus 75mm F1.8 lens for my usual shutter therapy session.

A PREMIUM LENS

As I first held the 75mm F1.8 in my hands, the first thought that came in mind was too obvious, that this is going to be an expensive lens. The front element of the lens looks so glossy, it shines like jewelry, and by the looks on the front optics itself you can tell this 75mm means serious business. Then there is the all metal construction of the lens, every part feels solid and very assuring, a quality very similar to the M.Zuiko 12mm F2. This 75mm lens is the largest Olympus M.Zuiko prime lenses, and not surprisingly you can feel a bit of heft as you pick it up. Not necessarily a bad thing, at 75mm focal length, this lens is still very small, considering the wide aperture opening of F1.8. As much as I was in awe and was drooling while I was inspecting the every inch of 75mm F1.8 lens, I just cannot help it but admit the fact: the price tag will not agree with my wallet, though at the moment no official pricing has been released yet by Olympus Malaysia.

SHOOTING IN PUDU

Olympus claims that the 75mm is a dedicated portrait lens, hence I took it out on the streets to test how good this lens is at shooting street portraits. I decided to test the lens out at Pudu, one of my usual street shooting grounds, and I was accompanied by dear friends Luke, Kelvin, and Shaun (the dude all the way from Brisbane). I wanted to test how usable the focal length of 75mm is on the streets, whether it can be a practical focal length for general portrait shooting. More importantly, as a portrait lens, having wide aperture of F1.8, I want to see just how good the bokeh can get with this lens. Being an M.Zuiko lens, coming from the predecessors 45mm F1.8 and 12mm F2 primes, both having superb optical excellence, I am expecting no less, if more in this new 75mm prime lens. Lets hope Olympus will throw us a few surprises with this lens, after all, we are hoping to have something to justify the heavy price tag !!

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/640sec

Juice me up

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/800sec

Can't Open My Eyes

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/500sec

Bicycle Parked

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/200sec Image Sample 1

Mamak Kecil

100% Crop from Image Sample 1

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/250sec

Religious Father

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/200sec

Butchers

HANDLING OF THE LENS

I intended to just shoot with the 75mm on the OM-D without the battery grip in order to minimize size and weight, allowing me to move around easier. I realized how wrong I was even when I was just doing some test shots indoors, the lens was just too heavy and the OM-D E-M5 alone cannot balance the lens, and I find holding the lens to be rather uncomfortable. Therefore, I decided to add on the horizontal/landscape grip, and the whole story changed. Having a better and beefier grip allowed the fingers to wrap around the camera better, and the additional weight actually helped a lot to stabilize the lens. Yes, the grip added some weight, but the overall combination of camera + lens + grip is still very light, much lighter than my usual street shooting setup using the DSLR E-5 and Zuiko lenses. Therefore, I was not really complaining, as long as the handling has been improved and I can shoot without hurting my fingers after a whole day.

Do bear in mind that this 75mm lens is not exactly as small as 12mm F2 or 45mm F1.8, hence it will be rather out of balance if you used the lens on older Olympus Micro 4/3 smaller bodies, such as the E-PM1 or even the E-PL3. To me balance and handling between the camera and lenses are VERY important, if I cannot hold the camera or lens comfortably, I am going to be stuck with the discomfort throughout the whole duration of shoot. That is not something I want to live with. Nonetheless, if you have an E-M5 with the landscape grip, the 75mm F1.8 lens is just right at home with the combo.

75MM FOCAL LENGTH

Unlike the previous 12mm and 45mm Olympus prime lenses, which are considered to be more "ordinary" and popularly used focal lengths which can be practical in many shooting conditions, this 75mm focal length seems to be rather out of the ordinary. In the 35mm format, this lens is actually 150mm, and that is already considered a long lens. Being a medium-telephoto lens, the usage of the 75mm F1.8 lens is rather dedicated, and I strongly believe that the photographer must know what he wants to do with the lens if he wants to get good results out of it.

It is no surprise that 75mm F1.8 falls into the portrait shooting lens category, and both Scott Kelby and Joe McNally have constantly, repeatedly stressed the importance of choosing a longer focal length for serious portrait works, working with minimum 85mm (on 35mm format) and they would not hesitate to go all the way to 200mm. The longer focal length can produce more flattering portraiture outcome, with the aid of the heavy background compression effect of the telephoto visual range. Long focal lengths usually create pleasing proportions of the human subjects, mainly because it suffers very minimal, if none of barrel or perspective distortion. Looking at such considerations, the Olympus M.Zuiko 75mm F1.8 surely fits the criteria !! If you shoot portraits professionally, and micro 4/3 gear is your main equipment for your shooting, I must say the 75mm F1.8 is a no brainer, you just cannot go wrong with this lens.

However, shooting on the street is a different game altogether.

Bringing the 75mm to the street for the first time, I found myself needing to step many steps backwards to fit the amount of frame I intended for my composition. This may be a problem in the beginning, but once I have gotten used to the focal length, I adjusted myself and found less issues framing my subjects, I just have to spot them further away. Coming from shooting heavily with the superbly famous Olympus Zuiko 50mm F2 macro lens on the street (which by itself is also a medium tele-photo lens) I do not mind the extra focal length.

As much as I love shooting from a distance, I have to be honest to say that the 75mm may not be best suited for street photography. Yes, there are times we need to have that longer reach, and shooting from across the road, no doubt, but if subject isolation is all you wanted to achieve, without the consideration of the surrounding environment, then the 75mm is perfect for you. It just goes right into the subject, and focuses on the subject alone, neglecting everything else in the frame. Most street shooters would recommend shooting with something wider to capture more details around the main subject, which may create more drama and aid in overall story-telling. Whicever style or choice of focal length for your own shooting is entirely up to your preferences. I would say, mix and match, and create a variety of shots to put together, hence your presentation on the whole would be more dynamic and you can minimize redundancy or that "stereotypical" focal length look. When you need to shoot long, go long, and 75mm will help you achieve that. If you need to go wide, go and shoot with 12mm, or 25mm. Each lens has its place.

If you were to pick just ONE lens to go on the street, probably 75mm is not the best choice.

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/500sec

Fish Boy

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/400sec

Slice and Dice

ISO640, F/10, 1/30sec Image Sample 2

Caged. Take note of the frogs being about 25-30cm away from the cage.

ISO640, F/1.8, 1/1000sec

Shooting wide open at F1.8, the 75mm lens managed to make the cage disappear completely !! The bokeh-ability is seriously stunning. This is one feat the 45mm F1.8 cannot perform, I am sure of it.

100% crop from Image Sample 2

ISO640, F/1.8, 1/400sec

Too much bokeh may not be good for shots that require plenty of details.

ISO640, F/8, 1/20sec Image Sample 3

Stopping down the aperture to F/8, the image appear more balanced and appealing. Oh and look at that fly on the small yellow basket.....

100% Crop from Image Sample 3

The fly was not in focus, but still it looks so sharp !

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/250sec Image Sample 4

Eyes of a Stranger

100% Crop from Image Sample 4

BOKEH, OH SWEET BOKEH

The main selling point of the Olympus M.Zuiko 75mm F1.8 lens is definitely the beautiful bokeh it promises. I think most people who are interested in this lens is only interested in the bokeh that it can produce. After coming home from this one shooting session at Pudu, I can happily declare that the bokeh from the 75mm F1.8 did not disappoint, in fact I was very impressed with it.

I came across this small cage with dozens of live frogs in it (don't ask, some locals here eat frogs, its sort of a delicacy, I have not tried it so don't ask me how it tastes like or how they cooked it). You may refer to Image Sample 2 above.I instantaneously thought of a few things to test the lens on. Firstly, would the autofocus be able to penetrate the steel cage, which was dark in colour? As I half-pressed the shutter button, much to my surprise the autofocus just locked immediately on the frog of my choice, without hesitation at all !! This is truly a good news for people who shoot through a lot of foreground distractions. Secondly, I was wondering would the F1.8 on the 75mm lens be able to blur away the front cage from the frogs inside? As I inspected the result (yes, I chimp a lot, especially when I shoot for reviews, so sue me) I was yet again astonished, the cage practically disappeared !! Mind you, the cage was not that far from the frogs, and I am fairly sure (though I did not verify) that the 45mm F1.8 would not be able to do the same. We are not just talking about blurring the cage away, the whole cage appeared as if it just vanished, and the frog's eyes looked tack sharp in focus !! It was as if the cage was not there at all.

For portrait and people shooting, the bokeh came out very smooth and creamy, I dare say even better than what you can accomplish with the M.Zuiko 45mm F1.8, or even the Zuiko 50mm F2 macro lens. Shooting headshots, or head and shoulder shots, the background is just blurred to nothingness easily. The wonder with this 75mm F1.8 lens is that, even shooting full body length shots, you still achieve very good bokeh, and respectable amount of background blur to properly isolate your subjects.

For micro 4/3 lenses I do think that this 75mm F1.8 lens has the best bokeh: in terms of background blur amount, and the creaminess, among-st all micro 4/3 lenses (with autofocus of course, lets not talk about the hyper-prime 0.95 lenses). If you are a bokeh lover, and you want to create as much bokeh as possible with your micro 4/3 system, this 75mm F1.8 lens will not disappoint. Lets not get into the equivalence talk, and comparing to full frame system. If the bokeh you see in my images in this entry is not good enough, seriously, you are either being too greedy (nothing is ever enough), or you do not like bokeh at all to begin with.

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/1600sec

Hiding from the sun

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/320sec

Joy being in the market place

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/1000sec

Market Conversation

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/125sec

3 weeks old

ISO200, F1/8, 1/50sec

Mother's embrace

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/250sec

Market Shopping

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/400sec

Surrounded by Flowers and Vegetables

SHARPER THAN SHARP

Olympus has earlier hinted that this 75mm F1.8 might just be the lens with the best optics they have come out up to date for Micro 4/3 system, and that means it should be sharper than even the 45mm F1.8 and 12mm F2 lens. I have no way to verify this since I did not have the chance (not that I wanted to anyway) to do comparisons side by side, but looking at the 100% crops, seriously the sharpness was outstanding, and beyond my expectations. It was obvious, this 75mm is a very sharp lens, I do not think there are many lenses out there that can match the sharpness of this lens. For all pixel-peepers, I think this lens will set a whole new level of benchmark for resolution and sharpness tests.

The lens is not just sharp, the contrast profile was rather different as well. I was faced with mostly overcast and cloudy sky, thus the lighting was generally flat. Most of my shots were taken inside shade (umbrellas or canvas roof) but somehow, the images still retain amazing amount of contrast, packing plenty sense of depth. I have no appropriate technical explanation, aside from what I vaguely make my description based on my limited knowledge and plain observation.

AUTOFOCUS

I tested the 75mm F1.8 lens on the E-M5, and I used Single-Autofocus at all times. The focusing was very fast, and accurate. I rarely missed focus, and if I did, it was probably my own fault of not reacting fast enough to my subject. The focusing and click-capture immediately after focus were very impressive. I think the focusing on Olympus micro 4/3 system has advanced to a stage where you cannot really tell apart which lens focuses faster anymore, and if they did, it would not make any difference in real life shooting. Yes, it was THAT fast, and it should be able to rival, if not surpass even the most sophisticated focusing system on professional camera system. I did not test the continuous focusing or focus tracking with this lens, mainly because my subjects were not exactly moving, or moving at very fast pace, and I did not find the need to track my subjects. The single autofocus, click to capture method was effective, and the lens was quick enough to respond to my requirements. I was not able to find any sports or fast action events to test the lens on. No, I will not torture a dog or a cat to run in the park as I test the lens' focusing capability. Not that I have any dogs or cats to torture.

ISO200, F1.8, 1/250sec

Tiny Flowers

ISO200, F/4.5, 1/200sec Image Sample 5

Getting your hands dirty

100% Crop from Image Sample 5

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/160sec Image Sample 6

How to Kill a Chicken

100% Crop from Image Sample 6

ISO200, F/1.8, 1/250sec

Friendliness in Morning

ISO200, F1/8, 1/1600sec

Standing on Top of the World

ISO320, F/1.8, 1/640sec

Lancome Girls at Pavilion, KL

NO, I am not quite done with my review just yet. If you have read my previous reviews, I usually reserve "what I do not like about the gear" into my later part of reviews, and I will write positively on what I like first. Of course nothing is perfect, and all camera and lenses have flaws, or aspects that could have been improved better.

I know many of you beautiful readers are pixel peepers (hey I admit I am a pixel peeper myself too, to a certain extent. Seriously, who does not pixel-peep? Don't kid yourself !!) so for your pixel peeping pleasure, I have uploaded full size JPEG files, converted directly from RAW through Olympus Viewer 2 software with full EXIF information intact, without any post-processing. Hence the images from the full size JPEG files are almost as good as straight out of the camera JPEG. I have selected 13 images from this entry which I think are representative of what you pixel peepers would find most useful.

In case you are coming back here after looking at the images, and can't believe your eyes, no, I did NOT add any sharpening or unsharp mask or whatever to make the images look sharp. You may not be able to judge the quality of resized and compressed images presented on this blog entry, but original full size JPEG files do not lie. So please stop making excuses !!

Friends who accompanied me on this morning's shooting session: Check out their beautiful blogs below.

148 comments
:

Robin love your review of the 75mm f1.8 lens. I would rather see actual photographs than the technical specs of some reviews. I feel that real images of life situations are more important than charts and graphs.

These are truly amazing. The level of sharpness is incredible, the bokeh delicious, and it didn't look over huge on the gripped OMD, not bad at all then. I look forward to the next installment of this series.

I preorded this lens on the day it was announced, and waited nervously until I could get some samples to keep the thoughts of canceling the preorder out of my head. And FINALLY I get some great real world samples (like 1 week before it starts shipping)- Thanks!

I somewhat lust over this lens. I thought it would be a bit long for my use and the fixed prime would not be as convenient as the kit 40-150 of the Olympus cameras but after I shot it, even on the E-PL1, I was impressed with the small size, the sharpness the ability to background blur and the AF. It even AFs easily and quickly on the PL1 - whilst Brandon's 35-100 f/2 on the E-5xx series was not good at - and that is a much more expensive lens. Coming 5th July to KL so maybe a walk one of the weekends?

Hey Ananda,We have the same thoughts on the lens, and yes I have tried it on E-PL1, the focusing works well, but I have not shot extensively with it. Somehow the newer lenses has much better focusing mechanism, which is a good news because it works well with all previous bodies. Great to hear that you are coming to KL soon. I am free Sunday 8th July, lets make something happen !! How long is your stay this time? Will be meeting Brandon shortly, shall convey the message to him.

Something like over 2 weeks Robin. 8th July sounds good as long as my Mum doesn't scold me for jalan kaki. Yes give my hello to Brandon - it's a gaz tooting along on his car with one hand on the aircon button. Has he fixed that yet?

Thanks for the awesome review Robin! Wow Unbelievably Sharp at 1.8! I don't see any sign of purple fringing anywhere when shot wide open, except perhaps for P1010245.jpg (Market Shopping), I hope it's just reflection from the surroundings!

Wow the lens looks amazing and you captured some wonderful shots! 150mm is such a specialty focal length. Many times walking around my 45mm/90mm 1.8 is a bit too long so 150mm is way too long. Even so I'm still very tempted to pick this up eventually. Looking forward to your next update.

Thanks for the kind words, Wataru. Indeed, I agree with you that 150mm seems a little too far for usual shooting needs. Nonetheless, when you do need that focal range, it is very useful and it wont disappoint.

There is no shop in particularYou get a bunch of coupon when you buy the OMD (or used to as i don't know if the offer still stand!)The purchase of the lenses and accesories shall be made in the shop where you bought your system; and olympus will offer a partial refund for all the item you bought (there is a ticket for nearly every lenses until the 60 macro (<-100€; reduction goes from 150 to 50); and for many accessoriez available (gripand flash are minus 75; lens adapter minus 30)You get to have as many reduction as item you purchase; but it is still a lot of money t pocket out to get a refund ^^;;.

M question is, when will you take the plunge to full m43? How big a difference dos the EM-5 combo and E-5 combo make for one like you? Th lens setup will never be the same and for sure you can see the difference in lens quality Movin forward.

I just hope the E-7 is really a m43/43 pro camera. My 50-200mm is waiting on the sideline for action.

Hey Mark,At the moment I am staying with my E-5, mainly for budget reasons. It is no secret that the E-5 came from Olympus, and I did not spend my own money. My current lenses are also based on tight budget considerations, all bought used. Micro 4/3 (E-M5 and the higher quality micro 4/3 lenses) system is not exactly very wallet friendly !!!! I might have to wait for second hand (used market) availability, then I might consider moving over. and yes, there is no replacement for that wonderful 50-200mm lens !!! Or not yet, haha.

I'm a normal person I think. My OMD fits just fine without the grip and is a pleasure to use. I thought I would need to buy the grip after all the comments I read but I was pleasantly surprised by how comfy it is all by itself. And...my goodness it's a lovely camera to use. I am SO happy with the nice clear image in the EVF that I forget it's not an optical finder. I'm fussy about such things and I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true.Only awful thing is how long it takes to set it up and swim through all the options in the menus. Frustrating when you just want to get out and shoot. Someone should do a nice page with a one hour set up guide. How to set up the camera with all the things you need and nothing you don't need. Everything I've looked at on the web is complicated and confusing.But this is about the new lens and one look at these images shows it is consistent with the other Olympus line up, which is to say..stunning!Robin..superb pictures.Reminds me I must visit Malaysia again, and soon! and I really,really miss the Roti Chanai and Tee Tarik I can't get here in Japan!

The Name/URL option doesn't work, hence the anonymous post.I was responding to your question if something was wrong with the description. I wouldn't know, because I don't speak your language, but apparently the term is considered belittling by some and I just wanted to point that out in case perhaps you weren't aware and Wikipedia is generally considered to be an unbiased source. No ulterior motive whatsoever.- Roy

Hello Roy,Thanks so much for getting back to me. No worries, wikipedia is a good source of reference, but the problem is people always assume it is accurate. Since it is open source project, the content is always questionable and open for debate. The word "mamak" is a friendly word here, and it has spawned a widely accepted culture, especially "mamak food" where you find Indian Muslim operating food stalls practically everywhere in West Malaysia. I can safely say I cannot survive without "mamak food" now, they are simply a huge part of our lives here.

Like I said, I don't speak your language so I have no idea why Wikipedia would suggest that this could be perceived as an unfriendly term. An older version of the same article reads: "most Indian Muslims consider this term to be pejorative but are receptive".I guess the easiest way to find out is to remove this qualification from the article, see if someone reverts the changes and look up their reason for doing so.

FWIW, I really only came here to check out your review of Olympus' new gem and it was a great read, especially for a newcomer to the m43 world like myself. And the visually very appealing window into your country and culture didn't hurt either. :-)- Roy

I'm a reader from the US and it's my first time leaving a comment here. I just want to say thank you for your review with such stunningly sharp images. Your reviews of the EM-5 were fantastic too. Also admire your English.

Finally a review with ""full/body length"" shot to see the amount of background blur (I've seen enough normal portrait compositions in other reviews of this lens, not one other reviewer thought about a fullbody shot??...).

Which is fantastic: the image with the man standing with the bottle of water in front looks very good and I thought, till now, was only possible with full-frame camera's..... man this is M43!!.

I will buy this lens because of only this! My 45mm f1.8 is good enough for me for normal portrait composition, just need a lens for more background blur when making a full bodylength shot.... just like for example the Sartorialist :-) without the big and expensive gear.

Another advantage for me is that the focal length allows me to make more "spy" portraits of my kids and family and get the more natural looks of my loved ones (my daugter can't pose naturally when she knows I am taking a picture, a mission impossible when using a 35mm eqv.)

Greetings from Holland, Johnps: more full body shot please in colour :-) in next part.

Hey Johnc,Thanks so much for the kind compliments, and of course, rest assured there will be some full body length shots coming in the next entry. Have just come back from the shooting session, will update this in a day or two. Do give me some time to breathe !

Good review and better photo, something better than what DPReview vomits out....anyway, always have been fascinated with the m4/3 system, but still quite hesitant about it since I've invested such a lot of time and money on my current system.

OK, you didn't sharpen the images but admit to cutting out the main subject and sticking them above an OOF background!No way the pictures could 'pop' like this otherwise :-)Could swear the EXIF says 'Leiss' (or was that 'Leica'?) :-)Would be great to see what this lens could do on landscapes ...Once again, great photos. Impressed.

Thanks for the kind words anonymous, but I would really appreciate if you could leave a name (even a nickname) so I can trace back your history of comments. That was a good way of seeing things, cutting out the image and paste it in an out of focus photo !

Thanks for the review, love your hands on approach and honest assesment of the gear used. I'm not sure i need this lens at all, but its great seeing the system get more and more mature, and lenses like this carry a strong message: m43 is here to stay and means business. Well done, Oly.

Thanks Nico Foto for such kind words. The most important thing to keep in mind while I was shooting and writing was being myself, and shoot the photos for myself !! That is the only way I can use the lens as I would on my own shooting.

Thank you for your review and those perfect shots, great examples of what that lens can do.I just wish Olympus would make this lens in Black, since the OMD in black has proven to be a top seller.This definitely my next lens.

"Not until earlier this week, there has been no reviews and image samples made available to the public" well... that's not entirely true... yours truly beat everyone to the punch about a month ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwAsgpebIWc ;)

Love because it shows beautiful photos with great user experience insight.

Hate because every time after i read your olympus gear reviews, it's the tipping point for me to convince myself that I need (I want) the gear. Started from the 45mm, than the e-m5, now this (just clicked the pre-order for the 75mm). Damn you!!

Thanks Robin. This lens is first in my list now. I already have the Oly 12 f2, and 45 f1.8, the Voigtlander 17.5 f0.95, and the Leica 25 f1.4. With the 75 I will complete my dream quintet. Thaks again for providing these beautiful shots, the bests by a wide marging so far testing this lens.

poor pa' Cik...specialist photographer for market environment...huahahahaha....but pretty people shoot-out ones in a while can't hurt laaahno problem lah, i still eagerly wait for your next photo set...sometimes i think your best album is the one you do review

Konikonaku,Those are just rumors at the moment, I do not think Olympus would want to propagate the rumor even further. But I sure would love to see what zoom lenses they can come up with, other than their kit lenses at the moment.

yup...its too troublesome for me to travel with a lot of those beautiful primenew Pana 12-35 is to short to replace my old Nikon 18-105...and fix f2.8 is to expensive..hehehe..mFT 12-60 would be perfect

Thanks Michael for the kind compliments. If it is not of any urgency, I would say wait for the used unit, I am sure after a year some would be on sale. Me too will not be able to afford buying so many things !

Please leave a name the next time you comment. I think everyone here including myself have opposite opinion, he bokeh is not busy, but smooth and creamy. Busy bokeh means harsh and unrefined. Everything at the back I see so far have been blurred into pure creaminess. That is the best bokeh you could ever ask for. Thanks to the 9 blade aperture diaphragm

You really must quit publishing such fantastic reviews. First I read your E-M5 review and wnet out and sold all of my Canon gear to buy E-M5's for my wife and me. Lately I've been saving for the Olympus 75-300 and now after reading this I'll have to buy this lens. You are going to make me a poor man :).

Olympus should allow you to keep the E-M5 and lens. You are their best marketing man!

Good stuff! This is why I fly into KL for an exchange from Perth rather than Changi so I can go into the city to see some diversity and grunge rather than manicured Singapore. I hope to have my EM-5 soon but this lens is not my thing at that price. Does the 75mm get as good as anything in the HG/SHG range?

Should come to Western Australia to take some awesome landscapes. I'll buy ya a beer!

This lens looks fantastic! Unfortunately out of my price range, but I am loving the evolution of m4/3. Too bad it isn't weather sealed. If they sealed the 12, 45 and 75 with the OM-D the m4/3 system would without a doubt be the best street camera system imo.

Hey Ian,It is indeed very expensive, and also out of my price range !It is interesting to see how Olympus lays out their plan for the lenses. For now there is only one weather sealed lens, which is not a very compelling choice for heavy weather shooters.

Hello Robin, Wonderful pictures.Its my first comment in your blog.Started following this blog from EM5 review I appreciate your simple way of writings and description for each pictures. I am still using point and shoot. Its your blog which is encouraging me to save and buy my first m34. Em5 is out of my reach probably looking to buy a used pen. I like your pics soo much that I cannot live any more with point and shoot :-P. Keep up your good workcheers....Dibin

Hey Dibin,Thanks for the kind comments, and thanks for visiting my blog all this time. If you are looking to upgrade from point and shoot, I have to say that there is no better choice than micro 4/3 !!

would like to invite you to PHuket where I live and test your camera on my boat trip to the island of Similan and Tachai islands. i believe you will get a chance to see one of the most beautiful marine national park in the world. www.facebook.com/thaitornado whenever u come ! also I am using em5 and have encouraged a lot of my friends to use it :) following all your good works

Well thank goodness for dp review, otherwise I would never have found you. What a lovely blog. I am so excited that I have bookmarked you. I am going to spend the entire day on your blog. What great images and straight forward talking for individuals such as myself. Cheers ilias From Melbourne

Hi Robin,I have just bought an Olympus OMD in silver with 12-50mm Kit lens, but i need something for low light (especially for indoor parties & family shots with portraits), so what would be a nice focal length to cover most of them.Could you please suggest me anything, as i am new to photography & there are lot to choose from (Oly 45mm & 12mm & now 75mm, Panasonic 20mm F1.7 & 25mm F1.4).I cant afford two primes.So, just want one that could do the best job.

I love these reviews. For me they are more meaningful than the technical measurement type of review. Your reviews show real life use along with your just pitch perfect commentary. As for this lens, I am interested in shooting photos of my grandchildren in their school plays. Would you recommend this lens for that situation even tho its a fixed focal length...sort of like the 135 F2 in the Canon line for full frame. I don't think there's a fast zoom now or on the horizon so its either the bulky dslr or an option like this.

Spectro analytical labs is best testing group company in world for everything but in this case people life is most important thing is environment. You always search good environment place for yourself. so we can help to decide which places environment is best for you are not.

Just want to highly recommend this lens and you do not need the omd to enjoy it. This lens works perfectly with my E-P2 camera. To prove it I hope its ok to post my flicker set using this lens with the E-P2.

This may sounds weird, but I'm somewhat torn between getting the 75mm f1.8, and the 60mm Macro. Some might say they are totally different lenses, and I guess they are. But for, I'm actually looking at a high quality medium tele that can complement the 12-35mm on my OMD, for street photography, and portraits. In terms of focal length, both fit the bill. The pro of the f1.8 is that lovely bokeh, but then the samples i've seen you take with the 60mm look pretty good too. The 60mm might be a bit more versatile in terms of not needing to stand as far back in crowded situations, and a bit of a fun factor in terms of the odd macro (i'll probably use the full 1:1 facility about once a year) and its cheaper. Thing is, what do I loose by going for the 60mm...what are your thoughts in terms of contrast, colour, etc?

Nice pictures!! By the way, I just bought my gx1 with 20 mm f1.7 lens and i really love it. Now thinking which lens to add on to my set. Should i get a 2nd hand 45mm or the 75 mm? Thanks and waiting for your advice. :)

Hey ZR Li,Both 45mm aand 75mm are very different lenses designed for different purposes. You have to ask yourself what will you be shooting most and how the different focal length will affect the outcome of your shooting, and which one will suit your shooting more. Get the one that you would use more frequently. In my opinion, the 45mm is so cheap, it is easier to decide on. Maybe in the future, if you think the 45mm is not long enough for certain situations, you can always add the 75mm.

Hi Robin: I changed from a DSLR FULL FRAME to the Micro Four Thirds. Now I have the EM1 and the 75mm plus other lenses. I used the same settings that you say you used in this review, but the quality of my pictures are not as good and sharp as the ones you published in this review. Is there any other setting or post processing that you did to get this amazing quality pictures??THANKS FOR THIS AND ALL YOUR REVIEWS!!